Europeans Highlight Ironman Lanzarote Professional Field

By Liz Hichens

Published May 20, 2010

Updated May 21, 2010 at 12:22 PM UTC

Eneko Llanos opened the season with an important victory at the Abu Dhabi Triathlon. Photo: Nils Nilsen

While it is often the returning champions that are automatically assumed to be the favorites in a race, that is not the case at Saturday’s Ironman Lanzarote triathlon. Two-time defending champions Bert Jammaer of Belgium and Bella Bayliss of Scotland will face a tough field made of several Ironman champions. Other male contenders lining up for what many have called the world’s toughest Ironman include Spain’s Eneko Llanos, Estonia’s Ain-Alar Juhanson, Great Britain’s Stephen Bayliss and Philip Graves and Germany’s Maik Twelsiek.

The biggest female competition for Bayliss will likely come from fellow countrywoman Catriona Morrison. Morrison made her Ironman-distance debut with a third place finish at last years Quelle Roth Challenge in Germany. She followed that by competing with injuries at the Ironman World Championship in October. Morrison will line up in Lanzarote after dominated Ironman 70.3 St. Croix a few weeks back, and will no doubt be looking for an Ironman World Championship slot and possibly her first ever Ironman victory. Other female contenders include the United States’ Hillary Biscay, Canada’s Tara Norton, and Australia’s Kate Bevilaqua and Rebecca Preston.

Men

Eneko Llanos opened the season with an important victory at the Abu Dhabi Triathlon. Photo: Nils Nilsen